The state railway company "Uzbekistan Railways" is one of the largest in Central Asian region. It was established in 1994. The company took over all the assets and rolling stock of the former Soviet Central Asian Railways within the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Nowadays Uzbekistan Railways fully meets the country's needs for transportation of cargo and passengers. At present Uzbekistan has 3986 kilometres of a ramified network of railway lines for general use. The railway lines are being continuously renovated and reconstructed. More than 16 million passengers are transported annually. Uzbekistan Railway Company takes an active part in the international transportation of passengers and cargo. The Kungrad - Beynau - Aktau railway line running to the Kazakh port of Aktau and further through Russia to the European countries is extremely significant. This is the only direct way from Central Asia to Europe. This trunk railway has become even more important after there was opened in 2004 the Caucasus - Crimea railway ferry crossing, which introduced the shortest route connecting the south of Russia and Central Asia with the Ukraine and Central Europe.
The railway line to China via Almaty and Urumchi has been regularly used since 1992. Four years later there was put into operation the shortest route railway line to the Persian Gulf via Turkmenistan and Iran, and to the Bosporus and the Mediterranean ports via Turkey. The construction of a new 557-kilometre branch line to China via Fergana Valley and Kyrgyzstan (Andijan - Dzhalalabad - Kishi - Kashgar) is getting under way. Today Uzbekistan uses six different directions for export and import railway transportation.
The Central Asian corridor through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Turkey, which is called the "golden" section of the Great Silk Road, runs to the South-East Europe. In Iran this trunk-railway splits into two branches. The latitudinal branch runs in the direction of Europe, whereas the meridianal one - to the Persian Gulf ports. The latter coincides with the "North - South" corridor. The Central Asian corridor began functioning in 1996 after the construction of 300-kilometre railway connection, which linked the railway lines of Central Asia and those of Iran. This new corridor is also rather promising for the development of passenger transportation. There was signed a memorandum of mutual understanding between the managements of the railway companies of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This document provides for introduction of a new international passenger route Almaty - Tashkent - Turkmenabad - Serakhs - Meshkhed - Tehran. The length of the route is to be 3290 kilometres, and it will take the trains 68 hours to cover it.
The Central Asian corridor is becoming especially important in view of the growth of tourism in the Great Silk Road region.
The government of Uzbekistan carries on intensive construction of new railway lines on the territory of the country. The railway line Navoi - Uchkuduk was extended to Nukus via Sulton Uvaystag and the sands of the Kyzylkum Desert. The direct railway line from Karshi to Termez via Guzar, Baysun, and Kumkurgan is under construction (the length of the section is 220 kilometres) and is to be put into operation in 2007. The construction of the 130-kilometre railway branch line Angren - Pap through the long and hard-to-build tunnel under Kamchik mountain pass will provide for the outlet to Fergana Valley.
The builders also managed to overcome the severe conditions while constructing the 230-kilometre Uchkuduk - Sulton Uvaystag railway line. In 2001 this railway made it possible to get through the sand-dunes of the Kyzylkum Desert to the bank of the Amudarya River over which a unique bridge was then being built. The construction of this 681-metre bridge, the biggest in Central Asia, was completed in 2004. After the bridge had been put into operation the distance to be covered by the trains running along Tashkent - Urgench route was reduced by 300 kilometres, whereas transportation time was reduced by 5.5 hours. The construction of Uchkuduk - Sulton Uvaystag railway line has become one of the most important stages in building the unified transportation system of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
At present vast construction works are being carried on at the Guzar - Baysun - Kumkurgan section of Uzbekistan railways. This line will run all along the territory of Uzbekistan and will have an outlet in Termez section. The second line, which has to reach the border with Turkmenistan, is also under the construction, whereas such sections as Samarkand - Bukhara and Samarkand - Termez are being electrified.
Tashkent - Samarkand railway line has been fully reconstructed and electrified too. Fast and comfortable electric locomotive "Registan" running along this railway has won the recognition of both Uzbek passengers and foreign tourists. In 2005 there has been put into operation one more special fast train "Shark" running between Tashkent and Bukhara. The train has economy and business class passenger cars. Economy class cars have comfortable chairs similar to those used in airliners. Business class cars have comfortable six-person compartments. There is also a VIP compartment in this new train. All its cars are equipped with computer, video, and air conditioning systems. The train has made it possible to considerably cut down the time of the journey (up to 8 hours). Along one of routes of the Great Silk Road (Almaty - Bishkek - Balikchi on Issik-Kul Lake - Bishkek - Chimkent - Tashkent - Samarkand - Bukhara - Urgench - Khiva and backwards) there operates a tourist train. It provides tourists with a first-rate customer service and as a result tourists frequently leave favorable comments on their journey. A new trial passenger route Almaty - Tashkent - Turkmenabad - Serakhs - Meshkhed - Tehran is much believed in. In case the project is a success, this route can be used to serve tourists. In short, numerous tourists who are eager
to make a railway journey across the countries of the Great Silk Road are provided with broader opportunities to promptly and with certain level of comfort to reach the ancient cities, where the unique architectural monuments are concentrated, and on their way to these centers of ancient civilizations to get to know the nature of the region: the desert sands scorched by the sun and mountain ranges covered with snow, beautiful landscapes of alpine meadows, valleys in blossom, deep lakes and rivers. Railways are the pivot of the newly-restored Great Silk Road. As soon as the ancient transcontinental tracks are restored to the new life the peoples of Central Asia will get an easy access to all the parts of the world.
